HUM 101 • Myers

Greek Tragedy & Aristotle’s Poetics

Tragedy: In his book, Poetics, Aristotle defines tragedy as “an imitation of an action that is serious, complete, and of a certain magnitude; in language embellished with each kind of artistic ornament, the several kinds being found in separate parts of the play; in the form of action, not of narrative; through pity and fear effecting the proper purgation of these emotions.”

In other words:

  • a tragedy is first and foremost the representation of human action;
  • the actions represented have serious, often dire consequences and the characters represented are of elevated social status;
  • the plot is a complete, coherent whole, lasting long enough to represent adequately the reversal of the hero’s fortune;
  • the language in which a tragedy is composed employs tropes and other heightened or unusual uses of speech and a mixture of different poetic meters;
  • the mode of imitation in a tragedy is drama as opposed to narrative;
  • the tragedy arouses pity and fear in the viewer and brings about catharsis.

Definitions

Chorus: A group of 12 to 15 performers who chant and sing at specific points during the play. Their function is to tell the audience about the characters, and comment on the action of the play. The chorus leader speaks directly to the actors from time to time.

The Three Unities: 1) Time - the play should take place within a period of no more than 24 hours. Some Greek tragedies are limited to the actual time of the play. 2) Place - the play should be limited to one general location. 3) Action - the play should follow one particular plot with few or no digressions; it should have a beginning, middle and end.

Hero: The lead character in a tragedy. This character (not always male) should be an admirable person - in stature if not action - with whom the audience can identify.

Tragic Flaw: The characteristic or action of the hero that leads to his or her fall.

Reversal of Fortune: The point in the plot of a tragedy at which the hero falls victim to his or her tragic flaw. According to Aristotle, it should be a surprising turn of events, but one that proceeds logically from the circumstances of the plot and the hero’s character.

Pity: The emotion felt by the audience of a tragedy when they identify with the tragic hero’s suffering.

Fear: The emotion felt by the audience of a tragedy when they understand that they, as human beings bound by universal laws, are subject to the same fate that befalls the tragic hero.

Catharsis: Aristotle describes catharsis as the purging of the emotions of pity and fear that are aroused in the viewer of a tragedy, which is part of the positive social function of tragedy.

Aristotle’s Six Components of Tragedy

1. Plot: The most important of the six components of tragedy, plot is the representation of human action. Plots can be simple or complex; Aristotle clearly indicates that complex plots are required for successful tragedies. The plot must be unified, clearly displaying a beginning, a middle, and an end, and must be of sufficient length to fully represent the course of actions but not so long that the audience loses attention and interest.

2. Character refers to the human beings represented in the drama. Aristotle stresses that the central aim of tragedy is not to depict human personalities, but rather to represent or imitate human action.

3. Thought is one of the objects of tragedy–the representation of the rational processes of the characters and of the values and ideas articulated in the play.

4. Rhythm, or diction, has to do with the way the language of the play is delivered by the actors. Aristotle suggests that experts in the art of oratory and the actors themselves are more responsible for the success of this dimension of tragedy than the poet.

5. Song: Involvement of the chorus in advancing the plot of the play through their recurrent chanting in unison and sometimes through interacting with the actors. Usually, but not always, singing.

6. Spectacle includes all aspects of the tragedy that contribute to its sensory effects: costumes, scenery, the gestures of the actors, the sound of the music and the resonance of the actors' voices. Aristotle ranks spectacle last in importance among the other components of tragedy, remarking that a tragedy does not need to be performed to have its impact on the audience, as it can be read as a text.

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